Stamping Velvet

From Anna S. (aka theatrerulz>
Does anyone know anything about a technique called velvet stamping??? How to do it? If it works on Cotton Velveteen? I could swear I saw it in an article in an earlier issue of the newsletter however now I can't find it.

JoAnn Abbott
Also known as embossing velvet, it is a very easy technique to learn and to master.

You can use a great many things to emboss velvet- rubber stamps, lace, wooden Christmas ornaments or shapes, or my favorite-plastic or metal sun catchers.

The method:

  1. Lay stamp or suncatcher face up on the ironing board.

    Try to have something rigid beneath it, you don't want it to sink down into the padding on the ironing board.

  2. Place velvet fuzzy side down on top of the item.

    I usually have the velvet no more than one inch larger all around than the stamp, otherwise I tend to get flat parts around the edges.

  3. Spritz with a little water from the iron or from a spray bottle.

  4. Press the hot iron down on the velvet for about 10-15 seconds.

  5. If your iron has steam holes, move it slightly as you press (I use a twisting motion) to avoind steam hole marks appearing on the velvet.

  6. Remove iron.

  7. Peel off/remove velvet and you should have a good impression.

Rayon and silk velvets work best for this technique, and can even be dry cleaned without losing the shape you heat pressed into the fabric. Washing the fabric results in crushed velvet :o). I did a lot of experimenting with this. Cotton velvets and velveteens are usually a lot harder to get to take a good impression, they are too dense usually. Some stretch velvets work nicely, also. Get 1/8 yard cuts to practice on, and the cheap plastic suncatchers available for kids to paint- they have good sharp lines that emboss well.

Judy Mitchell (aka rookwoods)
There are lots of places with info on stamping/embossing velvet. Try http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_rubber_stamping/article/0,2025,DIY_13775_2268657,00.html or http://www.hotpotatoes.com/velvet/index.htm (hot potatoes is a brand of rubber stamp who has made a big thing on TV about stamping velvet). There are also places on how to make a rubber stamp: http://nm.essortment.com/rubberstampmak_rlts.htm and also http://www.vitalcommunities.org/ValleyQuest/MakeAStamp.htm

BTW, I got all this off of Maggie's site. She did some embossing for her Arwen's Rose Gown http://www.costumersguide.com/maggie_costumes/rose_makingof.html She has a great site! Judy also indicates that if you do a Google search on "stamping velvet," "you'll find a lot of pages."

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